All Rise...

The Charge

I've heard it said that dreamers never lie —From
"Talking in Your Sleep"

The Case

Country/pop crossover princess Crystal Gayle performs her greatest hits live
with the help of her band, three backup singers and five feet of hair. Watching
Crystal Gayle in Concert, it occurred to me how mind-boggling it is that
Gayle and Loretta Lynn are sisters. Could these two women possibly be any more
different? One's a little bit country; the other's a little bit…well, not.
One would be at home on the cover of Fine Country Living, while the other
could pass for an early '80s Cosmo cover girl. And then there's the
music. Lynn's bluegrass rhythms have always echoed the down-home earthiness of
her Kentucky roots, but Gayle? Not so much. Since she first hit the radio in the
'70s, Gayle has swung for the crossover charts with mellow, easy-on-the-ears
tunes. She's to country music what Barry Manilow is to rock and roll.

As much as that sounds like criticism, it's not intended to be. What Gayle
does, she does very well. She may never be the legend her sister is, but she has
her own style, a honey of a voice, and inimitable trademarks: the porcelain doll
complexion, blue eyes, apple dumpling cheeks, the gentle tilt of the head when
she sings. And, of course, her famous, ankle-length hair.

Crystal Gayle in Concert is, as far as I can tell, her only concert
available on home video. For fans, it's a dandy. Recorded in 1982, it covers
most of her early hits, including "Why Have You Left the One You Left Me
For," "You Never Gave Up On Me," "Talking in Your
Sleep," "Ready for the Times to Get Better," "Our Love is on
the Fault Line," "Half the Way" and "Don't It Make My Brown
Eyes Blue."

The concert is refreshingly devoid of flash. You get Gayle, her band, a few
backup singers, and her music. No sets, no choreography, not even a costume
change. Gayle limits the chit chat between numbers, and what conversation there
is occasionally verges on embarrassing (when introducing "Our Love is on
the Fault Line," she says, "If you live in California, you might be
able to relate to this.").

Still, Gayle is in good voice, and she's clearly having a good time
fluttering from one top ten hit to the next, occasionally throwing in a show
tune ("Can't Help Lovin' That Man") or other pop standard. The only
time her highbrow style doesn't mesh with the material is when she tries to get
down and dirty with "Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do." But the
audience loves her, and she thanks them with two encores, including "Rocky
Top," a song made popular by Lynn.

Kultur gives Gayle's sole concert recording a handsome DVD treatment. The
full-screen presentation is remarkably clean and crisp for a 23-year-old
concert, showing off the simple but vibrant lighting design. Although the
packaging didn't indicate, the Dolby 2.0 audio seems to be in surround, giving
the instrumentals a full, robust sound and providing a surprisingly rich
listening experience. Despite the disc's lack of extras, Gayle fans should be
pleased.